Don't criticize community service

June 18, 2001|The Morning Call

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to Paul Carpenter's June 12 column and what he calls "the Mandatory Volunteer Program." The community service program in the Bethlehem Area School District is not something to mock, and as a student who has obtained over 140 hours of service, I take my "volunteering" very seriously. If it were not for mandatory community service, I would not have found out what I wanted to pursue during my college years. If Mr. Carpenter had asked, many students would tell him that it is not impossible to devote 60 hours over four years back to the taxpayers who are providing our superior education. If it were not for the community service program, the number of apathetic individuals would be higher than it already is. This, in turn, leads to narrow-minded citizens, such as Paul Carpenter.